EDITORIAL: The 1864 burning of Chambersburg resonates today

No student should be allowed to graduate from Chambersburg schools without being able to give the date of the town's most infamous day: the burning of Chambersburg. July 30, 1864.

But how many know the date, although more people can give the dates of the Battle of Gettysburg — July 1,2,3, 1863 — and even recite the Gettysburg Address?

The answer on this 150th anniversary, is, gratifyingly: more people than you might expect.

Community groups and individuals in recent years have stepped up to call wider attention to Chambersburg's place in history as the only northern town burned during the Civil War.

Among them is the Greater Chambersburg Chamber of Commerce, which developed the Heritage Center and the nationally known Civil War Seminar series. Also, the Franklin County Visitors Bureau, which put together an annual re-enactment of the burning, and related events. Not to mention local historians, both amateur and professional, whose research has added important details to the story.

The Chambersburg re-enactment (this year's is 6-10:30 p.m. Saturday on Memorial Square) may never draw tens of thousands like Gettysburg's. But that's a good thing because it's not about raking in tourist dollars. Although we will welcome the visitors it brings, the event first and foremost should be a hometown commemoration. Parents should bring their children to share in Chambersburg's story.

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Much has been written about the impact of the Civil War's physical destruction on the psyche of communities of the South, which lasts in some sectors to the present day.

We submit that there's been a lasting impact on the character of Chambersburg as well. The burning may still shape our view of who and what kind of community we are. When you land in Chambersburg from somewhere else, you pick up on some marked characteristics: A fierce independence, self-sufficiency, frugality, a sense that we take care of our own, a pride of place (no need to live anywhere else), and a finely honed suspicion of government and outsiders in whom we sense a bit of disrespect.

Additionally, a community steeped in history — and that truly knows its history — feels a sense of obligation to those who came before, to leave an equally honorable legacy to future generations. Despite the utter bleakness of the moment Chambersburg did rise from the ashes, and what that still means should be a matter of reflection.

Meanwhile, Saturday's burning re-enactment also is an opportunity for remembrance and thanks for those who did what they could to stand up for their town, now our town.